Theft of wire set off RCMP alarms

The latest wire theft to hit Langley came in the early morning hours of July 29th, and police are looking for witnesses.

Sometime around 3:30 a.m., a thief or thieves removed Telus phone lines from the area around the intersection of 224th Street and 16th Avenue, said Sgt. Ravi Pawar of the Langley RCMP.

Fortunately, it didnâ€™t disrupt phone service in the area. Telus had already installed fibre optic lines in the region, but hadnâ€™t yet removed their old copper wire.

The thieves took several blocks worth of wire, said Pawar.

The police and Telus officials are now actively investigating the theft.

The RCMP was alerted to the theft while it was still in progress because the line was alarmed. Although officers who responded didnâ€™t catch the wire thieves in the act, they did find some evidence that they hope will lead to arrests, said Pawar.

Anyone who was driving through the area between about 3:30 and 4:15 a.m. and saw any suspicious activity is being urged to contact the RCMP at 604-532-3200, or to call CrimeStoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS) or via www.solvecrime.ca.

Any suspicious activity around utility wires, especially early in the morning, can be called inand reported to the police, said Pawar.

Concerns have been raised many times in the past about wire theft knocking out phone service for rural areas of Langley.

Emergency responders are worried about residents without cell phones, particularly elderly residents, who would lose their access to 911 services until the wires are fixed.